Robertson High School is back in the Class 4A state football championship game.

The Cardinals ran their record to 12-0 by beating Hatch Valley 38-20 on a cool Saturday at Cardinal Stadium. The semifinal win is the first in the teams' last three meetings, including the 2015 state championship game last December in Hatch.

Robertson, the No. 1 seed, will play at No. 2 Portales, a winner over No. 6 St. Mike's in the other semifinal.

For more on the weekend in Las Vegas sports, check out the Optic print and online editions this week.

Las Vegas' Meadow City Soccer Club entered two teams to the 31st Annual Gaylord Sheppard Memorial Tournament in Bernalillo on the weekend of Nov. 11-12, and brought home some hardware for their efforts.

Coached by Ian Williamson, the U10 Ninjas were led by Aaron Doss (12 goals) and Theo Williamson (six goals), and dominated most of their division, outscoring their competition 20-4.

NEW YORK — In a sign of just how much American soccer has grown up, U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann was fired after a pair of losses in the final round World Cup qualifying.

Six days after a 4-0 loss at Costa Rica dropped the Americans to 0-2, Klinsmann was terminated after nearly 5 1/2 years during a meeting Monday at a Los Angeles hotel with U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati and Secretary General Dan Flynn.

Hatch Valley has won 23 of the last 25 football games it’s played the last two years and 32 of the last 38 dating back to the 2014 season.

In that time, the Bears have hoisted a state championship trophy — and they’ve managed to eliminate Robertson from title contention not once but twice.

The Cardinals — 11-0 and ranked No. 1 — thus may have extra incentive to beat their southern New Mexico rivals when the teams clash Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Stadium in a rematch of the 2015 Class 4A championship game.

West Las Vegas’ boys’ basketball team, hoping to reach the Class 4A state championship game for the third consecutive season, opened the 2016-17 slate with a lopsided 86-27 win over Bosque Prep on Tuesday night at Gillie Lopez Gym.

Also tipping off the season with a victory Tuesday was Robertson’s girls, a 74-47 winner over Wingate at Mike Marr Gym.

Riding a 14-0 head start they’d gained in the opening quarter, the Robertson Cardinals stayed in front throughout their 34-22 win over visiting Ruidoso this past Saturday at Cardinal Stadium.

As a result, Robertson stayed unbeaten at 11-0 and advanced to a Class 4A state football semifinal against Hatch Valley.
Hatch is the last team to have beaten Robertson — in the 2015 state championship game last December. The rematch kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cardinal Stadium.